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The Future is Now

Yesterday, seven young men officially enrolled “early” at the University of Miami and began classes for the spring, 2012 semester, including:

Taylor Gadbois (Dallas, GA)

Preston Dewey (Austin, TX)

Gray Crow (Clearwater, FL)

Ereck Flowers (Miami, FL)

Ladarius Gunter (Montgomery, AL)

Raphael Kirby (Stone Mountain, GA)

Josh Witt (Weston, FL)

I welcome these new ‘Canes like Steve Perry would – with Open Arms – and truly hope that participation in spring practices gives them a leg-up on their competition signing on the dotted line in two short weeks. I am thrilled that we are going to have – ostensibly – at least 32 new faces on the team this year and I have high hopes for each of them.

However, as I have discussed with friends on and off Eye of the Hurricane, high hopes are one thing. What ‘Canes fans tend to do to our young is quite another. Frankly, I’m afraid to even make a remark about the age of this team because I have been burned so badly before with my optimism towards the last bunch.

George Santayana was accurate when he cautioned: “[t]hose who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Thus, armed with my history degree from the best place on earth – the University of Miami – I am going to take you on a trip down memory lane so that maybe, just perhaps, we don’t make the same mistakes with another generation of so-called “baby ‘Canes.”

November 10, 2007: The Miami Hurricanes say goodbye to the Orange Bowl by bending over for the Virginia Cavaliers. While most fans are angry and drunk, a happy blonde girl is seen near N2 chirping about how Randy Shannon is bringing in the BEST RECRUITING CLASS EVER and it will turn everything around and they are going to win at least THREE national championships while they are here, you’ll see [blonde girl ducks various post-tailgate accoutrements thrown in her general direction].

Pre-season, 2009: After some great come-from-behind-wins against the likes of Duke and UVA in 2008, Jacory Harris is projected to be the Heisman winner . . . by die-hard ‘Canes fans. Aforementioned blonde girl actually schedules his win on her Outlook calendar to coincide with her puppy Sebastian’s birthday paw-ty and the ESPN premier of The U documentary.

Labor Day Evening, 2009: Exuberant ‘Canes fans file out of Choke Campbell Stadium in Trailernasty, Florida proclaiming that the ‘Canes will be national champions!

December 29, 2009: Hypothermia-stricken ‘Canes fans wander aimlessly out of Champs Sports Bowl wondering exactly how injured Jacory Harris is and why the big slow guys from cheese country just beat us, while swearing that 2010 will be Miami’s year, and the year we finally avenge Terry Porter’s phantom pass-interference call.

September 11, 2010: Aforementioned blonde girl leaves the Horseshoe in tears, dodging beer bottles thrown by classy luckeye fans. Goes back to hotel room to sob alone on the side of the tub in the middle of the night, wondering what has happened to her beloved Jacory Harris and the rest of the “baby ‘Canes.”

November 1, 2010 – September 17, 2011: Jacory Harris and other choice not so much “Baby ‘Canes” are ridiculed on a regular basis by fans, ranging from those who attack him on Twitter to those who make up amusing names about him on fan sites.

September 18, 2011 – November 25, 2011: Fans give Jacory and some other “Baby ‘Canes” a mulligan.

November 26, 2011- Present: Every player, with the exception of Sean Spence, is routinely scorned by fans. The very same fans tout players like Randy Duke Johnson as the second coming who will win at least three national championships during his time at the []_[].

While I am generalizing the behavior of “fans,” I hope this trip down memory lane makes you take pause about what we, as fans, do to these young men in our desperate attempt to relive [fill in the blank – era of your life when the ‘Canes didn’t suck]. Thus, I posit that we fans learn from history and follow some simple guidelines over the next year or two while the average age on our team hovers around 19:

Do not call these young men anything synonymous with “the next.” There was, and always will be, only one Sean Taylor, may he rest in peace. Just because a TE or OL went to prep or JC first does not make him the next Jeremy Shockey or Bryant McKinnie. Let these players forge their own identities on the field, not on Facebook or through the media.

Accept the team’s age. While I am always hopeful for an undefeated season, I don’t tear up my season tickets or cancel my donations to the Hurricane Club because the ‘Canes don’t play up to my expectations. 2012 could be a major test in our patience.

Give them a chance to develop and get coached up before you go on Twitter and tell them you wish they were never born, etc.

Allow Golden to bring in his guys and realize what he is working with. Just because the player looked good in high school does not mean that he will be all-world in his first, or seventh, college football game. It could take a season, or two, or three.

Don’t call them the “Baby ‘Canes.” This phrase is jinxed. The University of Miami is ranked #38 in the nation, y’all are smart enough to come up with something new.

Above all else, enjoy this time where we – hopefully – will be able to see the stark improvement in our program and enjoy watching these young men develop. The future is now.

Great Blog and very sobering. I have bled orange & green since 11/27/81, yearning for a return to the domination of the ‘Glory Days’. I finally learned my lesson when my program savior Randy Shannon exited. We Canes are so filled with history we have a tendency to “leap”. Oh and btw a “TRUE CANE” will never belittle, degrade or turn their back on their team!

Hurri, Coop is 3rd all time amongst freshman rushers. had nearly 700 yards that year. 2nd year he had about 850 rushing. we remember his last year vividly, but can’t forget he did pretty good for us before getting hurt.

and just looked it up. Coop’s behind only Santana and OJ Anderson in career all purpose yards for UM. 5th in career rushing – i would say imagine if he didn’t get hurt he’d probably be higher up the list but if he didn’t get hurt he’d have gone pro.

philly signed him but cut him before season – made it to the last cuts. but not sure if they brought him onto their practice squad or not. seems to have been signed by the eagles again after the season.

NFLPA All-Star Game Practice Report- LB’s
This story originally published on ScoutNFLNetwork.com

By Charlie Bernstein

Another former big school player who shined on the American roster was former University of Miami linebacker Jordan Futch. The 6-foot-3, 235 pound linebacker is versatile enough to play on the inside and outside and showcased his skills as he had a nice interception on Tartleton State quarterback Nick Stephens.

Like most players from “The U,” Futch showed good speed and a willingness to get a little scappy.

“It’s really great to be here and I’m thankful for the opportunity,” Futch said following practice.

Matt Stafford has always had a visible cannon. He was high in int’s all of his college years and I thought he was the product of a bad system/bad decision making until I watched more games and realized the receivers just couldn’t hold on to those ROCKETS! Lmao. That guy had so many int’s from tipped balls off of the hands of receivers!

“Miami (10-6, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won for the first time in six games against Clemson since February 2008.
. . . (the cane’s) point total was a season high against Clemson, ranked 19th in the nation in scoring defense at 58.6 points per game.”

Nothing was wrong with the 2008 class. It takes three good classes in a row to make a team. Uneducated football fans thought one group of guys could get wins. It doesn’t work that way. The 2007 class sucked, 2009 was decent, 2010 was poor. Great expectations put on these kids when they couldn’t do it alone. Stop overreacting to one class. If Golden gets two more great classes after 2012, then we’ll be in business.

I was barely sleeping during tailgate season having to come home and cook at 9pm and then continue working while stuff was in the oven! Ug!

I’m ashamed to say it, but I came THISCLOSE to buying the “Over the Rainbow” cupcakes I made for the K-State tailgate. The only reason I didn’t is because none of the cupcake shops made them/heard of them.

bg, the funny thing is, somebody just told me today about what ed reed said and i was saying the same thing, i was they tired of flacco f’ing up, i said the same thing about the santonio holmes/sanchez situation, you can only baby these qb’s for so long before a player or 2 get in they azz. Especially when you talking about football money, santonio was counting on that playoff money, he need that FO REAL, sanchez/qb’s already got alot of good money in the bank. NFL football contracts are like those old record deal contracts, FOS!

Point is, ed probably gone hang em up after this year, him and ray, like i told some fella’s today, cause they were saying that old cliche shat “reed should keep that in house” i said ok, so when yall want ed to say it, after they lose, yall already know where reed at on this “HELL NAW” flacco been f’ing up to long now, just like a few years ago when reed came in and gave flacco the short field when he picked off manning twice and flacco still couldn’t do nothing with the ball.

Don’t be surprised to ed reed check himself in and gets under center if flacco start f’ing up. And you already know ray lewis didn’t say nothing, so you already know what he thinking. Than the guy told me, terrel suggs came out backing up and supporting flacco saying, “this guy(flacco) has taken us to the playoffs 4 straight years’ like i told main man today, suggs happy with the playoffs, reed thinking championship, that’s the difference right their. F that, CALL HIS AZZ OUT, and the oc, flacco doesn’t know how to check the offense in & out of the right plays.

He gone need to put some points on the board, but let the Truth be told, if the ravens beat new england, flacco from a mental standpoint might teat that win like it’s the superbowl and than get to the superbowl and do noff scheme that game too. I have no faith in soft tape mentality qb’s, next thing you know, flacco will start saying he’s color blind!

I already know reed and a few other players want to slap his azz from time to time. Than this goes back to what we were saying, it’s flacco’s dumb azz, and the oc, but flacco is the qb, even if your oc calls for a passng play, in that situation, i’m checking it into a running play both times, i could careless what the oc is calling, we’ll just have to talk about it when i get back to the sidelines, but he wants to keep putting it in flacco’s hands in pressure situations when this man just does not have the mental capacity/clearness in those situations to come thru, why risk a pick!

Agreed about 2010, Esteban, but since I am an “uneducated football fan,” I thought it best for someone else to fight that battle.

Especially since BT could not grasp that the 2008 class was called the “Baby ‘Canes.” Now the 2012 class is starting to be called that. History is beginning to repeat itself. The entire point of the article is that we should recognize that so that perhaps things can be DIFFERENT this time.

I love it when someone’s first instinct is to criticize when he or she hasn’t bothered to fully read and comprehend the subject.

esteban, you beat me too it, but i keep trying to figure out, how is it, that people keep sleeping on the best class shannon recruited overall was that 2010 class, and that’s the same class that’ll be leading the way come this year as well. It was the best class from this standpoint alone that it was the most physical class.

Than if people take a look at how many starters from that class emerged, case closed!

Also, most of us should know by now, you have to have the right approach to recruiting, that 2008 class had a whole lot of talent in it, but the that class was ranked that high mostly because of the skill position players and forston and brandon harris and arthur brown, but the problem was, that class was mixed in with a whole lot of under-developed or as matt patchan said “there are a whole lot of guys on that team that should never have been offered a schalorship” he was right than and it’s proven now. I don’t care what class/qb you bring here, when you got matt pipho a.k.a. turnstyle as a starter, you not getting to any championship games.

The only reason v-tech has been beating us these last few years, not because they’re better than us talent wise, but it just had more to do with them being tougher in the trenches than us for a whole now.

Just think, back when a recruit came to UM, and they saw a guy like SEAN TAYLOR or andre johnson, or winslow, etc. etc., you know guys that look like real baller’s, you can talk all the facilities you want, but when a recruit comes in that has the same mentality as those guys, he understands right away by just looking at them, that this is where i want to be.

The problem over the last few years has been, recruits have been coming here, and glenn cook needed o be told to go and put a shirt on, or mike williams(althoug he played well and better than most thought he would), or cj holton, just to many guys that looked pathetic. Goes back to what shannon use to tell alot of the recruits, “you need to look at who you going to be playing with when choosing a school!

The main position that needs to look at who’s already at the school though are runningbacks and sometimes qb’s, if i’m a qb/rb recruit and i’m looking at a school and i see that school has alot of seniors on their o-line, i’m going to take a look at that and see who’s behind them, the only way that’s not gone matter to me is if that’s my childhood school and i could careless, but who you playing with at certain positions does affect you game at certain positions a whole lot!

shwarma5 says:
January 18, 2012 at 9:38 PM
Greetings as I am back a married man! Some classic stuff the past week and Canez that post with the pics today was classic. And Cal glad to read nuthin changed…taxes, death and Calvin’s POV 24/7 365
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This just goes to show, arranged/blind fold marriages do exist in the U.S., i’m sure with time, she’ll learn to stomach you. Good thing she’s not a UM fan, she would’ve rolled out along time ago, be that as it may, Congratulations, and whatever methods(debo’ed)you use, it worked. And why would we change, why you think goldie keeps saying “be the same guy everyday” he didn’t just ocme up with that, he studies Life!

can say that they are starting because the guys behind them suck, but 2010 class is the one that gets crucified as being a weak class. they came in from day 1 and were taking jobs from guys who were part of supposedly stronger classes.

Do you think Jacory Harris has a chance to be a NFL starting QB at some point in his career??
Mel Kiper (1:28 PM)

Definitely. He has a chance to be real good. The way he throws the football, you can’t ever underestimate a kid that has height. He’s 6-3, 6-4, outstanding arm and he’s accurate. You can’t teach accuracy. You can improve arm strength. We’ve seen that. Harris is a tough competitive kid. He’s got some talent around him and he’s only a sophomore. He’s going to be a big time NFL prospect. He’s the trigger man for that offense. We have a great game coming up in a couple of weeks. This week is at Virginia Tech with is a tough place to play. Then you have Oklahoma at Miami Oct. 3. Clemson plays at Miami the next game. We have several opportunities to get a handle on him and how good he can be.

MRob the type that the Giants make a SLB. Not sure how long it will take for him to figure things out there though. Wish he had been put there from day 1. Probably would have had less injuries over his career.

Jan. 19, 2012 5:39 p.m. – by Brian London – Canes send most underclassmen to NFL Draft
Five Miami underclassmen were included on the official list of draft-eligible underclassmen released by the NFL on Thursday. DL Marcus Forston, RB Lamar Miller, WR Tommy Streeter, DL Olivier Vernon and OL Brandon Washington were all deemed eligible for April’s draft. The league also ruled former Miami WR Aldarius Johnson was also eligible for the draft.

pb, question still is there if the Heat are better with the big 2 together or if they’d function better with a trade of one of them (Wade) for a couple of top notch role guys. the one trade scenario thrown out there that made me pause was Wade and Chalmers for Rondo/Ray Allen/picks.

Hurri says:
January 20, 2012 at 11:57 AM
Am I the only one who really doesn’t care for this Mike McCoy joker…..?

Just thought I’d go on record before we undoubtedly hire him.
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Nope, but you might still be the only one who hasn’t enrolled into the “emotional detachment class” from the dumb azz dolphins, classes are still available. Why would an organization hire another assistant to be their headcoach, didn’t you just get rid of sparano, at the same time, i can understand why they have to go this route, cause a real coach is not trying to come here and walk into this free for all ownership team, that’s why parcells got the hell outta here.